The animals are among the biggest dog breeds, and Knox weighs close to 200 pounds. But despite their stature, the dogs are nothing but friendly, Johnson said.
“The innateness of this particular breed is they’re very people-oriented,” she said. “It’s a very family-oriented dog. Knox can be very intimidating but one of his favorite groups of people are newborns, little small babies, he just loves them.”
The nature of a paramedic’s job means any call could be traumatic. The staff worked closely with CaroMont Regional Medical Center nurse Amanda Self and her sister-in-law, Gaston County Sheriff’s Cpl. Katelyn Self. The two sisters-in-law were killed when a car drove into a Bessemer City restaurant last year, and GEMS paramedics had to arrive to the scene.
“We worked with them everyday,” Ross said. “They were like family.”